The village

Characteristics of the village

The village Hrušov lies in the south of Banská Bystrica region in the western part of the district Veľký Krtíš. It is situated on the slopes of the plain named Krupinská planina. It has a rangy relief of the land area of 200 m altitude up to the highest peak of 525 m. Municipal area is 2331 ha. At present there live 863 inhabitants in the village of which are 363 men and 500 women. There is separated gypsy settlement where live 130 gypsies.

Hrusov is situated in the middle of the triangle of towns Sahy, Krupina and Velky Krtis in the southern part of central Slovakia. It currently belongs to the Velky Krtis region. The scenery of the village spans from 200 metres above the sea level to 525 - the height of the tallest hill Bukovina. The total area of the village is 2331 ha with farmland representing 1223 ha. Speciality of the village are cellars dug in sandstone - there is a large amount of these around the area. The church of All Saints which can be observed from afar when approaching the village is one of its main dominants. Moreover, a number of traditional houses from the 19th century with accompanying farm buildings have been preserved. These are usually surrounded by trees and picturesque lawns forming beautiful retreat.

The village of Hrusov managed to preserve its peculiar character with traditional folklore components of living, culture and clothing - mostly women. Rich folklore traditions are preserved mainly by the members of the local folklore ensemble.

The village of Hrusov was mentioned for the first time in 1272. A legend about a huge number of pear trees in this area is linked to the origin of the name (Hrusov - the base of the word is “hruska” which translates to pear).

Hrusov is specific for its “double-residency” lifestyle which originated in the past. Inhabitants of the village worked in the fields and farms in the rural areas of the village and met in the village itself on Sundays for the Sunday Mass. This kind of lifestyle has been used mostly until 1979 while private farming was very popular. Rural farms are scattered throughout the entire surrounding area of the village, existing either alone or in small colonies. Currently it’s mostly the elderly who lives in the rural areas of the village, with a few foreign investors buying and renovating some of the abandoned estates.

Since 1998, the mayor of the village is Ing. Pavel Bendík. The municipal council currently has 7 members. Even though the village has a disadvantageous geographical position, i tis located in a region with high unemployment, poorly developed infrastructure, the village was able to implement the development projects from national and european sources. For achieved results and success was the village awarded in 2003 in the national competition „The Village of the Year 2003“ and subsequently in 2004, Hrušov represented Slovak Republic in the European competition „Village Renewal Award 2004“ and for the extraordinary results in several areas of the development of the village, Hrušov gained an award that in the difficult geographical and economic conditions, is trying to protect its identity, buil infrastructure, improve the quality of the life and build tourism by preserving traditional crafts and cultural activities.

Hrušov retains the distinctive character with traditional folk elements. Among the important activities of the village that aim to preserve the traditions belong the nationwide festival called Hontianska paráda, which is held in the village every year, the penultimate weekend in August. In 2014, it held its 19th year.Hontianska paráda is unusual festival of traditional folk culture and peasant craft works. In addition to folklore performance, the festival offers to visitors samples and illustrations of the harvest, threshing, baking bread in traditional stone ovens, wood treatment, burning and making of the charcoal and other. Festival Hontianska paráda has become one of the most popular festival in Slovakia and it is an important tool for the development of tourism for the village, but also for the entire region Hont.